Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-08-19
The Chatsworth Slaughter.


The extraordinary slaughter of hu-
man beings-our fellow citizens,-on
the Peoria, Toledo and Yves tern R 4.
near the village of Chatsworth, ILL.,,
last Wednesday night, calls tor more
than q passing notice.
Here was train consisting OF two
engines and tenders, three baggage
cars, six ordinary passenger coaches,
and six sleeping coaches, making a
line of cars and engines that would
reach from the Court House to Mifflin
Street and weighing of itself
from two to three hundred tons
loaded with human beings, and rush
ing over the track at the rate OF near
ly a mile minute.
This immense mass approaches a
little wooden trestle, over dry run
bed, the grass around the trestle and
the trestle itself has been burning for
hours, the first engine goes over all
right, the second goes down, the bag
gage cars fol low, the first passenger
car is jammed fast and hard, the Sec
ond, with the tremendous force and
weight behind and pushing it,. cuts
through the first like knife, behead-
ing or cutting in twain every human
being in it. the third cuts through
the second, leaving but one person IN
it alive. the third car is wrecked and
everybody in it has broken limb or
other serious injury, tie weighty
sleepers have done their terrible work
and remain on the track. The blood
of the dead flows down the run, and
the groans of the dying and shrleks
of the injured ma ke sad music in the
midnight air. Happily the fire can
be and is extinguished with dust from
the fields, but here is scene of hor-
ror beyond the conception of any but
actual spectators, AID one liable to be
dupl icated on any railroad in. the
country any day, and yet one to
which the people of this Nation will
give but passing thought.
This was a cheap-rate excursion
train on its way to Niagara, and last
summer an almost similar accident
happened to similar train on
the road between Buffalo and Mag
ara. People were butchered in both
cases by the "telescoping" of the
cars, and We suggested then that the
strengthening of the king bolts and
platforms, and running the king bolts
clear through the platforms and key
ing them would lessen the danger of
telescoping. We think too that the
building of the ends of the cars V
shaped, 80 that they would glide past
each other in the event of collision,
would be good idea.
When the terrible accident and
holocaust occurred to the excursion
train for Montreal, in New England,
last winter, there was great deal of
talk about iron cars, and the elimina-
tion of the car-stove. and the legisla.
ture of York State has passed a law
forbidding the use of stoves on cars.
This telescoping also calls for legisla-
tion, and thus becomes a matter of
interest to the whole Nation.
1t is time for this nation to require
of the people to whom it gives the
right of eminent domain, absolutely
safe tracks and absolutely safe cars.
Fifty years ago, when railroads
were a new thing aud were wanted
evry where, the States gave them the
right of eminent domain, and fixed the
price for carrying passengers at the
high rate of three cents o mile, but
now that the business has become
the most profitable in the world, when
everybody wants to build, own and
run railroads. it is time for the people
to make and enforce laws that will
put an end to every large railr DAD in
the country being one elongated
slaughter-house.